opinions
TANSTAAFL – By John Reed
TANSTAAFL There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. This phrase gained common usage in the 1960’s when author Robert Heinlein used it in one of his most popular books. But it’s been around in one form or another for much longer. In physics, the idea is manifested in the conservation laws of energy…
Read MoreJudged By Your Past — John Reed
Judged By Your Past Several recent news articles have shown that no one is safe from the current political correctness. People are losing their jobs and reputations over things they wrote or said as teenagers years or even decades ago. Think back to your own teenage years: did you ever say something, write something, or…
Read MoreWork History — Tommy Purser
I was rummaging around through some old issues of the Ledger and came up with a column I wrote 35 years ago. It brought back a lot of memories. Here it is: These days around these parts, it seems every youngster in town is either “workin’ in t’bacca” or wishes mighty sorely that he was…
Read MoreRights Versus Privilege – By John Reed
If it were possible to sum up the current political and cultural divide in a few words, I think it would be how differing groups define rights versus privilege. One group thinks the only rights citizens have are those specifically defined by the Constitution and its amendments. Another group thinks everything not specifically banned by…
Read MoreBe Patient With Roundabouts
Both of our new roundabouts — at the intersections of Pat Dixon Road and Collins Street, and Pat Dixon Road and Charles Rogers Boulevard — are now operational. There is still work to be done before the projects are complete but traffic is now flowing through both of them. I spent a few minutes watching…
Read MoreCorner Loafers, Litter & Blight – John Reed
Corner Loafers, Litter & Blight One of my favorite features in this paper is the snippets from past editions. One hundred years ago, there was concern voiced by housewives living in the country that their “city sisters” weren’t doing enough to support the war effort (World War I). The suggestion was made to send their…
Read MoreLet’s Clean Up Our Town
Occasionally, I’ll drive the streets of Hazlehurst and look at things as though I am a visitor to town. It’s disturbing. Overgrown shrubbery, kneehigh and waisthigh weeds, trash on the sides of the roads, dilapidated buildings, abandoned eyesores, faded signs …. you get the sordid picture. We usually drive through our towns and countrysides without…
Read MoreReactions — By John Reed
Reactions Actions and reactions. Isaac Newton wrote the law. It applies to other areas besides just physics. Here are some examples. Action: Several well-meaning but economically naive cities have forced businesses to raise their minimum wage. Reaction: fewer jobs, more expensive products. Action: Entire police departments penalized for the actions of a few bad apples.…
Read MoreStop Complaining About The Law – By John Reed
Stop Complaining About The Law I am a lawbreaker. At least according to a local gendarme in a neighboring town last Spring. All my protestations of innocence, of the slow log truck I was trying to pass, of my being late for a meeting fell on deaf ears. Naturally I grumbled about being singled out:…
Read MoreWe Did Our Best
There is much confusion, misunderstanding, misrepresentations and unfounded fears about roundabouts swirling around Jeff Davis County — especially on social media — and it pained me to watch the video of last Thursday night’s Hazlehurst City Council meeting to see the council members having to deal with all of this. So bad is it that…
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